Investigating the relationship between alcohol consumption and subjective poverty in Russia.

Abstract

The Russian government has long struggled with the problem of excessive alcohol consumption. We examined the relationship between alcohol consumption and subjective poverty in Russia using the special survey of the Levada Analytical Center conducted in 2017. Subjective poverty represents an individual's perception of personal well-being when an individual's income is lower than the required not to feel poor. We found that the status of being subjectively poor was associated with the increased probability of consuming vodka for women and the probability of consuming beer for men. Results inform decision-makers about the importance of subjective poverty issues for understanding alcohol consumption.